Clutch mechanism for lead carrier of magazine pencils



G. W. WHITE Nov. 3, 1942.

CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR LEAD CARRIER 0F MAGAZINE PENCILS Filed Oct. 29, 1940 INVENTOR GEORGE w. WHITE m 1; Way

ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 3, 1942 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR LEAD CARRIER I OF MAGAZINE PENCILS George W. White, Union City, N. J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Samuel Jacobs and Jules Jacobs, Borough of Manhattan, New York, N. Y., copartners, doing business under the firm name and style oi Norma Multikolor Application October 29, 1940, Serial No. 363,255

6 Claims.

The improvements comprise the perfection of the lead clutch mechanism whereby they fracture or breakage of leads while they are being inserted into the carrier is practically eliminated;

and the modification of the propelling mechanism, as a whole, to insure the employment of a minimum number of parts, with all of the attendant advantages which flow from such improvement.

I achieve the foregoing results with the arrangement and construction of various elements, as shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Eig. 1 is a side elevation of the different components embodied in my invention, and disposed in a vertical line in the order of assembly,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the complete carrier,

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the carrier,

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view along lines 4-1 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the pencil in which lead carriers of this type are used. Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section taken along lines 6-6'0! Fig. 2. For a clear understanding of my invention, .reference is made to the patent of Hans Maucher, No. 2,170,761, dated August 22, 1939, and relating to Mechanical pencils. Here it will be seen that a grip 30 is utilized to support the lead 28. With this style of grip the bore of the grip corresponds almost exactly to the diameter of a conventional lead. Consequently, during the operation of initially inserting a lead into the grip, the resistance set up by the bore and the diameter of the lead renders the operation rather hazardous from a standpoint of maintaining the lead intact. Manifestly, owing to the exceedingly tight fit, the operation must be conducted with extreme care, otherwise the lead or crayon will break.

I avoid the possibility of lead breakage by the use of a clutch or coupling, comprising a tubular lead support or holder I and a separable lead grip 2.

The support-is formed with an internal bore 3 amply large to receive and sustain the lead 4 while the grip 2, having the general conformation of a sleeve, and a lesser diameter at its tip 5 than the internal diameter of the support, is slid over it into position with respect to the support-as illustrated in Fig. 4.

In further detail, support i is rotatably mounted, as at 6, relative the outer end of the main carrier tube 1. Moreover, it is provided with a terminating short of the inner end, with a notch 9 disposed laterally of the last mentioned end.

Opposite extremities of grip 2 are slit lengthwise-see l and ll-at diametrically opposite points, and these two sets of slits are arranged at right angles to each other, the pair of slits l0 serving to lend a yielding engagement of tip with respect to the lead, while the pair of slits l I provide for a resilient connection of the inner end of the sleeve with the inner end of the support. Also, at the inner extremity of the sleeve, I form an inwardly projecting key or lug l2.

Bearing in mind the various structural features described, the first step towards introducing a lead consists in removing grip 2, which is accomplished by turning it anti-clockwise until key I2 is disengaged from notch 9, as in the case of a bayonet joint. Thereupon the grip is slid from its support I. With the propelling mechanism appropriately adjusted to receive it, and the carrier held with the support uppermost, a lead is inserted into the bore 3 of the support. Then the gripping sleeve 2, with its key 12 registering with slot 8, is shoved along the support until the key is opposite notch 9,,when said key is turned slightly so as to engage the notch, thereby completing the coupling. Finally, by continuing to turn the sleeve 2 in clockwise direction the propelling mechanism is brought in- 30 to play and serves gradually to propel the lead 4 through the smaller diameter of grip 2 into writingposition. It will thus be seen that because of the larger bore of the support, the lead is initially inserted therein with ease; and that what 35 is of capital importance, thereafter the lead is thoroughly embraced by the same support or guide as it is gradually propelled through the smaller bore of the grip. And due primarily to the difference in the diameters of the bores, lead 40 breakage is reduced to a minimum. Further, owing to the firm and positive manner in which the lead is held by the tapered grip, lateral play or wabbling is eliminated.

Means for propelling the lead includes said tubular member I which for the major portion of its length, as I3, is swaged to present an approximate semi-circular contour in cross section, and a central channel I4 for housing the threaded propeller rod I5, the head of the support having internal threads I5 coacting therewith. To prevent the propeller from turning, its extreme inner end I6 is flattened so that its transverse area will be in excess of the width of channel it.

Two or more of the carriers constructed in aclongitudinal slot 8, open at the outer end and cordance with this invention'are designed to be than circular, as triangular, square, etc., to receive leads of corresponding cross sections. The words internal diameter are used in the claims in a generic sense to include all shapes.

I claim:

l. A pencil comprising an axially chambered body, a tubular lead support rotatably mounted upon said body, a sleeve embracing the support,

and including a constricted tip, the internal di-- ameter of the tip being less than the internal diameter of the support, and means for propelling a lead through'the support and tip into active writing position.

2. A pencil comprising an axially chambered body, a tubular lead support rotatably mounted upon the body, said support having a longitudinal slot and a notch adjacent said slot, and being furtherprovided with internal threads, a sleeve enclosing the support and separable therefrom, said sleeve also having a key slidably engageable in said slot and turnably engageablein said notch to couple the support and sleeve together, and a threaded propeller rod operating in conjunction with the internal threads of the support.

3. A pencil comprising an axially chambered body, a tubular lead support rotatably mounted upon the body, said support having a longitudinal slot and a notch adjacent said slot, and being 35:

further provid d with internal threads, a sleeve enclosing the support andseparable therefrom, said sleeve also-being split longitudinally at its opposite terminals and having'a key slidably engageable in said slot and turnablyJengageable in said notch to couple the support and sleeve together, and a threaded propeller rod operating in conjunction with the internal threads of the support.

4 A pencil comprising an axially chambered body, a tubular leadsupport rotatably mounted upon the body, a ,propeller'rod threadedlyconnected to the support, a sleeve embracing and including a tip, a bayonet connection between the support and sleeve whereby the latter are movable clockwise as a unit to advance the lead through the support and the tip or the sleeve into writing position.

5. A propeller pencil comprising an axially chambered body, a tubular lead support rotatably mounted upon said body, a sleeve embracing the support and including a tip,'the internal diameter of the support being greater. than the internal diameter of the tip, and means for propelling the lead through the support and tip into active writing position. i

6. A propeller pencil comprising an axially chambered body, a tubular lead support rotatably mounted upon said body, a sleeve embracing the support and including a tip, the diameter of the hollow portion of the support member being less than that of the sleeve member and greater than that of the tip or the sleeve, whereby the tip tightly grips the lead and the support member freely embraces the lead.

1 GEORGE w. WHITE. 

